The Secret to Being a Writer and 3 tips for the Seepe Walters Writing Contest ...

Watch the video to find out the SECRET TO BEING A WRITER ... (and 3 writing tips)

Kids in grades 3-12 in Innifil, Ontario, ENTER the SEEPE WALTERS WRITING CONTEST!
Contest closes October 30, so don't wait! You could win $100, and all finalists will be published in the annual Seepe Walters Anthology, plus I'll be a judge and I want to read your stories.

You're the next generation of Canadian storytellers, we need you... here's how to enter online now

More on the Seepe Walter Writing Contest on this blog.

3D gargoyle AND Ontario Library Association Interview!

I love being a writer. Every once in a while, something really cool happens! How lucky am I?

This month BEHOLD ... my gargoyle puppet and I are immortalized forever in 3D printing!! Thank you so much to the wonderful librarians at the Innisfil IdeaLab and Library, who sent this to me as a thank you gift, after I did the Seepe Walters Kids Writing Contest tour.

Here's my "Secrets to Being a Writer" Youtube video, to inspire kids to enter the contest, hilarious!

I talked to over 4000 kids in 3 days, in every school in Innisfil, Ontario. It was a blast, I loved every minute. Here's an image of this adorable 3D gargoyle from behind (I think it's cuter from behind!)>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

And hard at work in front of a group of kids in Innisfil
vvvvvvvvvv

In more awesome news, MANY THANKS to the Ontario School Library Association, for interviewing me for their current issue of The Teaching Librarian!

It's a 4-page interview, in which I talk about Charlotte's Web (the book that made me want to become a writer at age 9), my influences (Lord of the Rings and fantasy in general), where I get my ideas (walking around Toronto helps), my process, reading to my kids, the importance of cliffhangers, loving  your monster and more! Pick up a copy to read all you could possibly ever want to know (plus much, much more) about yours truly.

One last picture of me holding my gargoyle puppet, who is holding the 3D statue of me holding my gargoyle puppet (hee hee!):

The Seepe Walters Writing Contest for Kids!

Ah, September with your lovely sun and calm sky. I took a walk along the Outer Harbour Marina "Rabbit Lane" a few days ago, (because, yes there are almost always rabbits in the grass), near my sailboat, and turned to see this lovely image of Toronto, through the early autumn foliage.

The Seepe Walters Writing Contest! Next week I'll be up north in Barrie and Innisfil presenting "The Writer's Life" to school-kids in the area. The idea is to get local kids interested in the Seepe Walters Writing Contest, for grades 3-12. There are real prizes, and the deadline is October 30/2017. Thank you to the librarians at Innisfil IdeaLab and Library for inviting me! I'm so honoured to be asked to talk to kids about the contest. It's always fun, a sacred trust, to talk about writing with the next generation of storytellers.

The kids always remind me of dandelion seed heads, about to be spread to the winds. Or, perhaps like the Wild Carrot/Queen Anne's Lace seeds above, taken on the same walk as the shot of Toronto.

There is potential all around us. And there are stories to be told, too! I can't wait to read them.

More About Presenting to Kids:

What's the Scariest Book You've Ever Read?
The Top 10 Weirdest Questions Kids Have Asked
Tips for Running a Kid's Writing Workshop
What's the Last Book You're Ever Going to Write?